Common

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A critically lauded, underground hip-hop artist who eventually found mainstream success with his artistically daring and politically conscious music, Common eventually parlayed his profile into acting. Common began his career as a cult figure in alternative hip-hop in the early 1990s, at a time when commercial rap was dominated by warring gangstas from both coasts. With his literary lyrics focused more on love and spirituality than drugs and guns, Common built a following among music critics and hip-hop fans alienated by the negative direction of gangsta rap. He earned some backlash for doing so, but eventually triumphed in the late 1990s amidst a growing revival of old school hip-hop. Following a number of best-selling, Grammy-winning albums, he began an acting career. Unlike Common's musical content, which was socially outspoken and positive, his early supporting film roles found him playing just the type of street thugs his music had railed against. As he began to find his footing in action and comedy features, Common proved that his magnetism and persona as a stage performer translated quite well to characters ranging from his starring role in Western railroad drama "Hell On Wheels" (AMC 2011-16) to comedy "Barbershop: The Next Cut" (2016) to supervillain blockbuster "Suicide Squad" (2016). He maintained his musical credibility as well, winning Best Original Song at the 2015 Academy Awards for "Glory," his collaboration with John Legend for the film "Selma" (2014) and being nominated for the same award three years later for "Stand Up for Something," a collaboration with Diane Warren, for the film "Marshall" (2017).Born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. on March 13, 1972, in Chicago, IL, Common was the son of a teacher, Dr. Mahalia Anne Hines, and former pro basketball player, Lonnie Lynn. He was raised mainly by his mother following his parents' divorce, who stressed the importance of education and regular attendance at the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side with her son. Common wrote his first rap - an homage to Cincinnati rappers Bond Hill Crew - in his early teens and by high school, began performing as an MC with a group called CDR, achieving some local airplay and opening larger shows for national groups. He left the group to attend Florida A & M University where he worked towards a business degree, but continued refining his lyrical style and recording demo taps. When one of those early tapes led to Common's inclusion in the Unsigned Hype column in Source magazine, he left school and shifted his focus to a music career. Under the name Common Sense, he released Can I Borrow a Dollar? in 1992. The indie met with generally positive reviews and earned the budding artist a cult following on the underground hip-hop scene. His 1994 follow-up release Resurrection built on that promising start and displayed a literary, politically conscious lyricist who was unafraid to go against the popular (and lucrative) trend of gangsta rap. Some of his lyrics, including on the song "I Used to Love H.E.R.," openly criticized the path hip-hop was taking, which sparked a highly publicized defense from West Coast rapper, Ice Cube.Controversy surrounding the rappers' debate generated significant attention to the lesser-known Common Sense, bringing mainstream attention and increased interest in the kinder agenda of alternative hip-hop. The spat with Ice Cube also brought Common Sense to the attention of a ska band with the same name, whose lawsuit prompted the artist to shorten his name to Common. After relocating from Chicago to Brooklyn, NY, Common's profile continued to rise with a contract with Relativity Records, coupled with the appearance of his single "The Remedy" in the film "Get on the Bus" (1996). One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) found a wider audience than Common's previous releases, thanks in part to a growing revival of the early, more poetic and political days of hip-hop. The well-received album included collaborat